1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for suspending an article of clothing and the like from a supporting structure, and more particularly to an apparatus operable to deploy a plenary number of caps in an appropriate attitude to permit the brow portions thereof to be exposed for purposes of display.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the last decade, it has become quite popular for businesses, and a variety of other organizations, to advertise their products or services by printing their group's slogans, lg trademarks, advertisements or messages onto the brow portion of lightweight, baseball-type caps and thereafter distribute, or sell these caps to their members or customers. This form of advertisement, for example, has become quite popular with respect to college and professional athletic teams, especially professional baseball and football franchises.
Recently, it has become quite popular for sports enthusiasts and others to collect these baseball caps, adorned with their asundry advertising slogans and designs, and thereafter to hold them for purposes of display. As should be understood, no convenient and inexpensive method has yet been devised to display these cap collections, apart from the obvious method of constructing shelves which are somewhat expensive to purchase and usually require time-consuming installation.
Attempts have been made in the prior art to manufacture devices operable to deploy various caps and assorted head wear for purposes of display or sale. For instance, several prior art patents have shown devices with frame-like members adapted to hold a derby-like hat in such a manner that the caps can be conveniently stacked within another on a display case for sale.
Other attempts in the prior art to provide devices adapted to deploy various garments, such as head wear, have included, for example, U-shaped, spring-biased hat rim engaging members which are operable to engage the hat rim and thereby cause the deployment of the remainder of the cap in an appropriate attitude.
While some of the prior art devices have operated with varying degrees of success, they are unsatisfactory in one or more respects. For example, some of these devices are cumbersome, are difficult to retain in position, and do not admit to convenient, easy employment in confined quarters, for instance. Others, either do not admit to convenient deployment of baseball-type caps or are otherwise over-sized and unsightly in use. Furthermore, some of these devices can only be employed by the use of a permanent fixture or specially-adapted mounting mechanism. Yet another deficiency common in the prior art devices is their obvious inability to be manufactured and sold at a relatively inexpensive price.
Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have an apparatus capable of deploying a cap in an appropriate attitude for the purpose of exposing the brow portion thereof for display, and which is capable of performing a variety of other useful functions, the device being both inexpensive to manufacture and to sell and capable of relatively easy usage and installation.